1.It is sure bad news for eco frens(SORRY.SOME HAVE BEEN
DISCONNECTED.
Pl read para 5 below)
EIGHT wetlands face being drained to free up water along the
Murray-Darling as John Howard warns that Australia may have to
import more food to cope with the historic drying of the
basin.--http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/drain-wetlands-to-save-towns/2007/04/20/1176697093015.html
A report released yesterday by the Prime Minister warns the
drastic action on wetlands could be needed, while it says the river
system faces further environmental problems such as rising
salinity, the death of native fish species and the return of algal
blooms as a result of the drought...
Eight wetland sites in NSW and South Australia have been identified
for a reduction in the water quarantined for them, but the
Government would not name them yesterday. ....
Aussie seems pump out the last drop of water from bottom
of well!!
which wet land
going to be drained?
2.It is not just the farmers in aussie wil suffer.The
mining industries too.
[quote]Activists
in northern NSW called for the closure of the Lake Cowal
goldmine near West Wyalong. It is licensed by the NSW
Government to draw 17 million litres of water a day from the
Lachlan River, part of the basin....
Threatened:
3.
For millions the water will stop midyear.Phillip Coorey,
Chief Political orrespondent
April 20, 2007
JOHN HOWARD has urged everyone to pray for rain after warning
that the millions of people along the Murray-Darling Basin will
have only enough water for basic domestic use from the middle of
the year.
The Murray-Darling Basin is the country's food bowl, and irrigators
and winemakers warn that food and wine prices will soar, while
economists fear heavy local job losses.....
towns
and cites around MDB
4.Once
gone they will not quickly return.
...Inevitably, the big dry will touch all Australians as the
slowdown reverberates across the continent and into all those
corners of the economy directly and indirectly reliant on
Australia's most important agricultural region.
In rewriting the economic map of the Murray-Darling Basin, the
drought may irrevocably change the social map as well. After years
of drought, turning off the tap could result in large numbers of
farmers selling up or simply walking off the land. Indeed, the
exodus has already begun.
The Herald has reported how a dairy farmer, Phil O'Neill, from the
Barham district north of Echuca, has watched the area lose half its
dairy farmers in just 12 months, with more to follow. Those
who stay may need many years to re-establish herds or regrow fruit
trees or replant vines. The effect on towns and rural communities
may be irreparable, as stores die and services disappear without
the population to support them.
Once gone they will not quickly return. The apocalyptic threat to
communities from Queensland through NSW and Victoria to South
Australia makes the prospect of higher prices for imported produce
in city supermarkets seem perhaps the least of our
concerns.....
5.Murray-Darling
Basin
Dry Inflow Contingency Planning,Overview Report to First
Ministers
April 2007pdf file
Oh some wet lands HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED!!:page 4
As agreed by First Ministers,
a number of measures have been progressively implemented
over recent months.
This includes the commencement
of additional pumping into Mount Lofty storages from the River
Murray to ensure water supply for Adelaide,
the disconnection of certain wetlands, lowering the target
end of season reserve in Lake Victoria and implementing reduced
minimum flow targets.
Further wetlands will be disconnected in 2007-08. A group
of wetlands in South Australia and NSW has been identified as
offering relatively high yields in evaporative savings, with
manageable costs and impacts...
9. Further measures to be progressively implemented in coming
months include:
further wetlands will be disconnected;
6.supply of water to small towns
Town-by-town contingency planning is now largely complete. State
resources will be available to put these plans into place should
the need arise. Indeed, many towns have put in place water
restrictions, sought alternative water sources (e.g. bores) or
are carting water for domestic use.(page 3)
Q and A
12. Which towns are in trouble and why?
The towns that are most drought affected and which are experiencing
severe water restrictions are those that have relatively small
catchments in lower rainfall areas, such as Goulburn in NSW and
Bendigo in Victoria. Some country towns and communities in South
Australia downstream of Lock 1 and around the Lower Lakes are also
experiencing water supply difficulties.
Other towns depending on the River Murray for water supplies are
not currently experiencing these difficulties. However, if there
were a repeat of the conditions in 2006 during 2007, towns relying
on the River Murray would experience similar restrictions to
Bendigo and Goulburn.
13. How will they get water?
Contingency measures to source alternative supplies are generally
available for towns supplied from channels. Mostly, this would
involve drilling bores to access suitable groundwater
reserves.
For Adelaide, several contingency measures are being progressively
implemented, including pumping extra water to the Adelaide Hills
reservoirs, disconnecting suitable wetlands along the length of the
Murray to save water for later, lowering Adelaide pump station
offtakes and fast-tracking the completion of new water filtration
plants.
The South Australian Government has also announced that if
necessary, it will construct a temporary weir near Wellington to
establish a pool level in the lower reach of the river to enable
water to be pumped for urban supplies.
Water to be carted to drought-hit towns,March 10,
2007
A Victorian water authority will begin carting water to two
towns north-east of Melbourne this weekend as the effects of the
drought begin to hit hard.
Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) said it would start carting water to
Euroa and Violet Town.
GVW chief executive officer Laurie Gleeson said that the carting of
water to those communities was necessary because of the ongoing
severe drought conditions and declining storage levels...
Sure ,this is not a good sign.
